IZIP E3 Peak Electric Bike Review [VIDEO]

If you are looking for a versatile high performance electric mountain bike, then I recommend that you checkout this review of the IZIP E3 Peak from Currie Technologies!

The Peak is a mid drive motor electric bike that can climb almost any hill and fly along the flats at 28+ mph.

It is designed as a hardtail mountain bike with 27.5″ wheels but it can also be used for around town commuting or rolling along country roads.

At $3,000 USD it offers a number of features that other bikes in the $4,000 – $5,000 price range have.

Make sure you check out part 1 of this review with a video, large detailed pictures and specifications of the IZIP E3 Peak to get familiar with this e-bike.

In this second part of the full review of the IZIP E3 Peak, you will get an idea of the ride characteristics, range test, pros, cons, and overall thoughts on this electric mountain bike.

What you can expect from the IZIP E3 Peak:

To get acquainted with the new Peak, checkout this video:

Probably the biggest highlight of the Peak is that it comes equipped with a mid drive motor and center mounted battery for low and centered weight distribution.  This is the ideal set up for an off road bike because it allows the rider to maneuver technical terrain without feeling much effect on the handling of the bike from the weight of the motor and battery.

In addition, both the front and rear wheels are very easy to remove because they have quick release levers and no wires to mess with.

At 350 watts the TransX mid drive motor may not sound very strong, but it is surprisingly powerful!  This mid drive has a max torque of 73 Nm (hub motors max out around 40 Nm) and when that is combined with the ability to leverage the 9 speed SRAM drivertrain, it provides for a very quick ride with the ability to climb just about any hill.

3 sensors are built into the TransX mid drive system; a torque sensor, cadence sensor (measures crank speed), and wheel speed sensor.  This is similar to the Bosch mid drive systems and it helps the e-bike know more about the terrain you are riding on and adjust accordingly.

One of the reasons the Peak can get up and go is the 48V 8.7ah (417 Wh) lithium battery.  48V systems have the ability to accelerate quickly and the Peak definitely can!

The battery can be easily removed from the frame mount with the included key for charging or storage indoors.  Charging takes around 4-6 hours with the included charger that is about the size of a laptop charger.  There is a battery level indicator on the battery pack and you can also see the battery level on the LCD handlebar display.

The Peak is mainly a pedal assist (pedelec) bike with 4 levels of assist.  A twist grip throttle is available for getting started (up to 6 mph with or without pedaling) and as a boost in pedal assist levels 1 through 3 (you have to be pedaling for it to give you the boost).  The throttle boost provides the same power as pedal assist level 4 (100% power).

Another cool feature of the TransX system is the large LCD display that is front and center on the handlebars. The display provides information like pedal assist level, battery level, speed, trip distance, odometer, and……estimated range!

The range function is very handy because you will know approximately how much range you have left based on the current battery level and the pedal assist level you are in.

When the battery is fully charged these are the estimated ranges that the display provides:

Level 1 = 33 miles

Level 2= 29 miles

Level 3 = 25 miles

Level 4 = 16 miles

Seeing the display at night is easy thanks to the backlight.  An ambient light sensor in the upper left side of the display automatically turns on the backlight in low light conditions.  You can also manually turn on the backlight with the light button on the control pad.

The control pad on the left side of the handlebars allows you to control the functions of the bike and display.  Here is more info on what each button does.

On/off button: This turns the bike on/off but only after the battery has been turned on (there is an on/off button on the battery as well).  The control pad on/off button also changes the assist to level 0 when pressed while the bike is on.  Level 0 disengages any kind of assist; no pedal assist and no throttle assist (even if you turn the twist grip throttle).

Information button: Pushing this button cycles through the information on the display (current speed, trip distance, odometer, estimated range).

Pedal assist level buttons: There are (+) and (-) buttons on the control pad that will increase or decrease the pedal assist.

Light button: This will manually turn the display backlight on/off.

The Peak frame is made from 6061 aluminum tubing with thick welds, an oversized headtube and downtube gusset for added strength.  The reinforced headtube area is a wise choice to make the Peak off road worthy.  Internal cable routing in the downtube keeps cable clutter to a minimum.

To smooth out the rough terrain a RockShox XC30 suspension fork with 100mm of travel is spec’ed on the Peak.  The XC30 has a lockout feature to provide more riding efficiency on smooth roads.

Speaking of smoothing out rough terrain, the Peak is using the relatively new mountain bike wheel size of 27.5″ (650b).  This is the intermediate wheel size between the classic 26″ wheel and the somewhat new 29″ wheel size.  26″ wheels are pretty agile and can handle tight/technical terrain while 29″ wheels have the ability to “roll over” rough terrain.  This new 27.5″ wheel size on the Peak combines attributes from the 26″ and 29″ wheels to provide a ride that a lot of mountain bikers are enjoying today.

Slowing this fast e-bike down is accomplished with the Tektro Auriga E-Sub hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors.  These brakes have the electronic switches in the brake levers that will stop the assist if the brake levers are engaged.  That is a nice safety feature.

A SRAM X7 9 speed drivetrain provides a nice range of gears for climbing hills and flying along the flats.

The connection points to the Peak are well thought out.  Velo lock on grips are a nice touch because they are locked on to the handlebars.  The Wellgo pedals have a grippy surface and wide platform.  The Velo saddle is a narrow performance style saddle that is at home on this high performance e-bike.

The 27.5″ x 2.10″ CST Patrol mountain bike tires on the Peak have a nice pattern of off road treads with good side knobs.

Riding the IZIP E3 Peak Electric Bike:

Okay, enough of the specs, let’s talk about how the IZIP E3 Peak performed on and off the road!

The Peak is surprisingly fast!  It is rated as being a 28+ mph electric bike and I had it up to 30 mph with the motor still providing me with some assist.  Please note that with the Peak you need to be pedaling to get to those high speeds because this is a pedal assist electric bike.

Those high speeds were hit in the highest pedal assist level (4) and I was definitely putting in my fair share of pedal power!  Now you probably won’t use the high speed function of the Peak off road but it is nice to have for getting around town quickly or for riding the road to the off road area you plan on riding at.

Besides being able to hit the high speeds, the Peak also has quick acceleration thanks to the high torque mid drive motor and the fact that it is a 48V system.  By properly shifting through the 9 speeds of the drivetrain in pedal assist level 4, you can get up to 28 mph pretty quick!

Speaking of shifting through the gears, most mid drive motor electric bikes can climb almost any hill thanks to their ability to leverage the gears of the bike.  And that is absolutely true of the Peak!  With the high torque motor and some of your pedal power, you will be able to climb almost any hill.

But you need to shift the bike properly to optimize your pedal performance as well as the motors performance.  If you are climbing a steep hill in a really high gear, you will “bog down” the motor and it will not be very efficient.  This is similar to driving a car in the highest gear up a steep hill.

In comparison, hub motors “bog down” on a hill at some point because they can’t shift down to a lower gear.

One thing to note on the Peak is that in the higher assist levels 3 &4, there can be some “hard shifts”.  When the motor is providing power in those high assist levels you can feel an abrupt shift when changing gears under the higher power levels.  In the lower assist levels the shifting has a smoother feel.

I have focused on the high assist level quite a bit to show the high performance capabilities of the Peak.  Please keep in mind that there are 4 distinct levels of assist which come in handy for a mellow ride, improved range, and for riding in technical terrain.

Levels 1 & 2 are good levels of assist for riding technical off road terrain because it allows you to get some assist without accelerating too quickly.  Those levels of assist are also good for riding around town in congested areas.

Level 3 is nice for getting around town with some speed and acceleration, but without the full power of level 4.

When you do put your power to the pedals there is a delay in the assist and that can take some getting used to.  One way to get instant assist is to turn the twist grip throttle.  Some people like to have instant power when they start to pedal and other people like the delay so that the bike won’t lurch forward when they put their foot on the pedal.  It would be nice to have less delay on the Peak to provide a slightly more responsive ride.

It is good to keep in mind that you have a lot of control over how fast or mellow of ride you want from the Peak.

Similarly, the Peak can handle on and off road terrain with ease thanks to the 27.5″ wheels and RockShox fork with a lockout option.

The Peak is a versatile electric bike that can be adjusted to fit your riding style of the day!

The IZIP E3 Peak Ride Test Results:

Here is the real world information on how the IZIP E3 Peak electric bike performed on a riding circuit that includes hills, flats, traffic, wind (when available) etc.

 

While testing these bikes I like to put them through the toughest conditions to see where their bottom line is in regards to range and speed.

Range: As you can see from the GPS info that I recorded, the IZIP E3 Peak traveled 21.2 miles and did a total elevation gain/loss of around 1,750 ft. Considering that I weigh 190 lbs and I pedaled very lightly this is pretty good range for a 48 Volt 8.7 ah battery pack (417 Watt Hours) with a 350 watt motor.

Watt hours are the total energy in a battery pack and it is based on the volts x amp hours of a pack. This is a way to compare the size of the “gas tank” of electric bikes.

Please keep in mind that if you pedal more, weigh less than me, ride slower and/or you use the bike in terrain that is not as hilly you will get more range. These results are from tough testing.

Speed: The IZIP E3 Peak can get up to 28+ mph on flat ground. The Peak does a great job of climbing hills and I was able to fly up some hills at 20+ mph!  Even the steepest hills can be tackled using the low gears of the bike.

Weight: The Peak tips the scales at 49 lbs.

The weight distribution of the IZIP E3 Peak is very good thanks to the mid drive motor and the mid mounted battery pack.  The low and centered motor and battery provide for an electric bike that handles very well both on and off road.

Pros

High Performance:  The Peak is a very high performance electric bike with the ability to hit 28+ mph, climb almost any hill, and handle on and off road terrain with it’s balanced weight distribution.

Economical Mid Drive:  At $3,000 the Peak offers similar features to other  electric bikes that cost $4,000 to $5,000.

Versatile:  The Peak is an electric bike that can handle just about anything.  You can ride it off road with some assist or rip around town or country roads in the highest assist level.  You can easily customize it to your ride style of the day.

Cons

Pedal Assist Delay:  It would be nice to have slightly less delay when the pedal assist starts to make for a smoother ride.

Hard Shifts:  It would be nice if there was a way that the TransX system could sense when you are shifting gears to smooth out the hard shifts in the higher assist levels.

Conclusion

Overall, the IZIP E3 Peak is a versatile, high performance electric bike that can be adjusted easily to fit your riding style of the day.  It offers a lot of features for the $3,000 price point and it comes from one of the largest electric bike companies in the US, Currie Technologies.

Please keep in mind that this is a relatively short term test. This testing can’t really give you the long term review of durability and reliability. My thoughts on the quality of this bike are from previous experiences with similar bikes. If you own this bike and have some input on the long term durability, please share your comments with the Electric Bike Report community below.

The IZIP E3 Peak retails for $3,000 (USD) at the time of this review.

Where to buy a IZIP E3 Peak? Check with Currie Technologies for a dealer near you.

Do you have any questions about the IZIP E3 Peak?  Do you own the IZIP E3 Peak?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks!

-Pete

Review Note: Each company pays a fee for a review on Electric Bike Report because of the considerable amount of time that it takes to provide an in-depth review of each eBike. A lot of time is spent on the full range test with distance & elevation profile, the wide variety of detailed pictures, in-depth video, and the write up with the specifications, ride characteristics, pros, cons, and overall thoughts. The reviews on Electric Bike Report are focused on providing you with a detailed “virtual” look at each eBike to help you determine if it is the eBike for you or not.

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